Manchester United has had a bad season. After the additions of Raphael Varane and Cristiano Ronaldo, the team’s pre-season optimism and expectation have faded, replaced by a reliance on David de Gea, who is currently the Premier League’s most influential goalkeeper.
Manchester United has slightly under 120 attacking corners this season without scoring a single goal from them, according to a number of data. In reality, they frequently appear to be acquiescing from their own corners. However, the fact that De Gea, a goalkeeper who was on his way out last summer, is suddenly the club’s top performer tells a lot about the club’s catastrophic season.
The Importance of De Gea
De Gea was selected United’s Player of the Month for November and December, and he made several saves in Wednesday’s match against Brentford. This season, the former Atletico Madrid goalkeeper has made 82 Premier League saves, which is by far the highest in the competition. The Spaniard’s next rival is West Ham United’s Lukasz Fabianski, who has made 70 saves throughout his career.
De Gea has a 12-goal advantage over his nearest rival, demonstrating just how vulnerable United have been this season, which is unsurprising given their lack of quality in midfield.
Even one of De Gea’s weak points has improved this season, with the goalkeeper saving two of the three penalties he has faced. Out of the current top 10, only Leicester City has conceded more goals than United, and United has only kept four clean sheets this season.
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